Malik Shah

Malik Shah (8 August 1055-19 November 1092) was the Sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092, succeeding Alp Arslan and preceding Mahmud I of Great Seljuq. With a father as great as his, it would typically be hard to exceed his achievements. However, Malik Shah was a respected figure who endured severe difficulty in keeping his realm held together, and he was somehow able to maintain stability through various rebellions and wars with the Byzantine Empire.

Biography
Malik Shah was born on 8 August 1055, the son of Alp Arslan and an unknown woman. Malik Shah was a Turkish Sunni Muslim, and was a member of the House of Seljuk, descended from the Oghuz Turkish warlord Seljuk. Malik Shah was a Turk, but he was raised in Persia, which his father presided over as a part of his Seljuk Empire.

Malik Shah's father died on 1 November 1072, and Malik Shah succeeded him as Sultan of the Seljuk Empire. Malik Shah inherited an empire that stretched from Central Asia to Asia Minor, which had been acquired through several hard-fought campaigns against rival Muslim sultanates and the Byzantine Empire. Malik Shah was only seventeen years old when he inherited a large Islamic empire, which would take lots of responsibility to rule and expand.

Early Rule
Malik Shah's early reign was peaceful, and in 1076 he married Noushin (a Nestorian Christian Levantine) and Golshan (a Sunni Persian), and in 1077 he married Ceylan and Margarid. Malik Shah married many of them due to their diplomatic skills, which could prove valuable for his realm.

On 16 October 1076, when the holy month of Ramadan began, Malik Shah decided to pay particular attention to it as one of his first major holidays as Sultan. Malik Shah fasted during daylight hours, and at night, he increased his piety by reciting the Qur'an through Tarawih prayers. His Grand Vizier Mayor Boru of Areni helped to manage his realm by going through his newly-acquired demesne titles and easing his burden of government by distributing them to existing or new vassals. At the end of Ramadan, he felt like a better person, having given generously to the poor and performed many good deeds.

During his early rule, Malik Shah had to deal with the troublesome Bey Menushihr of Erivan, who wanted to achieve independence.